Why wasn't Dragon age declared racist?

[brighteye]

"He's a dark-skinned, muscular person rescued by the player and follows them as a kind of mercenary without pay, an indentured servant if you will. He even acts (or at least urges the player to act) like a complete homocidal manic, insisting on ending lives at nearly every chance.

Let us review:
Dark skin
Depicts his people as bad through psychotic behavior
Member of a foriegn, but proud people that was spirited away from his nation. "

Did you just describe worf from star trek the next generation ?

 

[quantumsoul]

I hope you're joking. Because you sound like a crazy person. Sten didn't really look African aside from slightly dark skin. C'mon he had white hair and purple eyes and his facial structure wasn't all that African. He wasn't even a human character.

His people weren't psychotic. They had a harsh culture with little room for weakness but not a completely unreasonable one. It's a warrior culture, violence is a natural part of it but they didn't kill randomly. Look up what the Qunari are actually about or better yet use Sten and ask him about it.

I guess the game could be seen as raced since there weren't any black or Asian characters that I could recall but the setting was very much like medieval Europe so they would look out of place. Maybe as more lands are revealed in new games they'll pop in.

Also he only follows you because you saved his life he's bound only by honor. He will turn on you if you he thinks you can't lead or are too weak.

 

[Warachia]

snip

I fail to see why you would bring this up, it's these types of comments that make people declare things racist in the first place. Why do these things matter? The only thing that can come out of comments like these is people alienating themselves from one another because an incident that happened to a person who has a different skin tone didn't happen to another person with another different skin tone. So if he was white everything would have been okay? Think about these things first and ask yourself: "Is this insensitive, or have we come far enough as a species to look past these?" Good thing you never seemed to play Baldur's Gate 2.

For the record, he did travel to Ferelden himself.

 

[Nowheremaan]

(tongue firmly planted in cheek) Or maybe it's misogynistic as all the women are wizards and rogues...

 

[TeeBs]

Because only white people play dragon age

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

Because Bioware haven't fallen prey to the over sensitive politically correct pricks who seem to dictate so much media nowadays. I'm sorry to say such servitude did, and still does exist.

Highlighting an issue does not automatically endorse it as acceptable. If anything, it proves the damage such actions can cause. No other game creators out there have the balls to tackle such tricky subjects these days, and I hope Bioware continue to actually stimulate our brains rather than just mindlessly jack them off like too many companies.

Um, aren't we forgetting the Mass Effect "SeXbox" non-scandal?

ahhhh, good times, good times. where has Ann Coulter been these days? i almost miss her, smug ignorance and all.

on topic: i agree with the couple people who compared the Qunari to Klingons. that's the way i took it.

 

[TheLefty]

That never even occurred to me, what bugged me was the lack of an ability to make a remotely black looking character, when I tried I came up with some kind of weird permanent sunburn.

 

[yizas]

He never did ask for any fried chicken, watermelons or grape soda either

 

[Dr. wonderful]

Sten to me, is okay.


His friends? Yeah, My Magi elf dosen't wanna deal with them...the Horny bastards.

 

[clockout]

It isn't racist because no black people were in it.

 

[Dr. wonderful]

He never did ask for any fried chicken, watermelons or grape soda either

...

That was horrible...and we do not drink Grape Soda.


...

We like mountain dew, mac & cheese AND peaches.

 

[Dr. wonderful]

It isn't racist because no black people were in it.

What about that mage from Denerim? That one in the dark ally talking with tose people?

 

[soul_rune1984]

You want to gripe about racism and you use Sten as your case in point? You should be looking at the treatment of elves if you want to make a compelling argument. They had their culture taken from them, were enslaved (are still slaves in most of Thedas). They are forced to live in walled off slums or wander the forests of Ferelden.
If you play as a city elf a human noble kidnaps the female members of your wedding party (including you if you play as a female )on your wedding day and rapes them. He only gets punished if you kill him. If you choose not to kill him he gets away with it. Humans throw the term "Knife-Ear" the same way the N word was and unfortunately still is.

Plus you seem to be forgetting that the story takes place in a setting based on mid-evil times. Racism's gonna happen, that era is not renowned for it's political correctness.

Rant over

 

[clockout]

It isn't racist because no black people were in it.

What about that mage from Denerim? That one in the dark ally talking with tose people?

Either I missed something, but hey if the guy was in a dark ally, how would you be able to tell?

 

[twistedheat15]

Because only white people play dragon age

Oh shit! When did I become white?! Last I look I was chocolate in corn rows, now I'm vanilla with bangs!

OP: Game wasn't racist you're just looking for crap that isn't there. By you're way of thinking they'd have to show anyone who isn't white is nothing but blessed holy light to not show that they mean offense to any minorities. Quari as a whole seem to have more of an ant like culture, all for the good of their ppl, and no personal attachments. They'll fight, kill, stomp, and do w/e their told by leaders. Leliana was as assassin, thf, killer, seductress but because she's white there's no problem? Morrigon wicked, manipulator, heartless but not tan enough to matter? It's easy to find racism when you're nick picking to look for reasons.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

What about Uncharted? I thought Yahtzee was exaggerating when he was talking about how it was a game for white supremacists... even though I had never heard anyone talk about how it was racist... when the white, well groomed smart-ass Nathan Drake rampages through the jungle into groups of blacks and Latinos who he then proceeds to slaughter by the waves, you would think someone would have mentioned it.

 

[Double A]

The gay and lesbian sex was a much more tantalizing target for the game bashers. It was overlooked by them cause it wasn't as controversial.

And Qunari aren't black people. They're Islamic. Also, Elves are Jews.

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

I never thought of Sten as black. I always thought of the Qunari were something of an islamic people. Not all that similar of course, but I thought that was their closest real world equivalent.

Though they really don't have a real world analogue, they're more along the lines of mythical giants, or something.

On a somewhat unrelated note: Their women are hot, but they don't appear, even in Dragon Age 2

Spoiler

So you're saying that Muslims are like a War loving race of giants who value honor over free will?........Smooth... although, to be fair, that's not 'entirely' incorrect (except the giant part......... i'm not a giant)